The 21st century is proving to be an exciting era of imaginative, interdisciplinary collaborations among academic, local, and global partners. Inspired by such projects, the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and the University of Iowa Press have launched a new book series, Humanities & Public Life. Obermann director Teresa Mangum and historian Anne Valk (Williams College) are co-editors of the series; they work closely with press editor Catherine Cocks.
The series spotlights the work of artists, scholars, and activists immersed in publicly engaged projects in which the humanities, arts, and culture inspire community-building and civic change. Part exhibition, part documentary, part advice, and part reflection on failures, successes, and possible futures, the series honors innovative forms of humanities scholarship in all their many-layered, capacious complexity. The series is also uniquely committed to capturing collaborations from the perspectives of faculty, students, community members, and organizational partners.
The first two books in the series were published this summer and are already receiving national attention.
The Penelope Project
The Penelope Project was collaboratively created, and the book is authored by three of the project partners: playwright, scholar, and professor Anne Basting; director and creative producer Maureen Towey; and gerontologist and chief arts officer and co-founder of GeroStart Inc., Ellie Rose.
You can learn more about the book and a PBS film about the project at the Humanities & Public Life website.
See You in the Streets
CBS News’ moving feature story on the 105th anniversary includes an interview with author Ruth Sergel.